Agreed with Burt Rutan and Paul Allen to invest in development and construction of second generation vehicle for commercial venture â€“ the worldâ€™s first commercial spaceline

Intending to order 5 SpaceShipTwoâ€™s and 3 WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft to be manufactured by The SpaceShip Company (TSC) (a Joint Venture between Scaled Composites and Virgin)

Mission to create environmentally benign, safe and commercially viable access to space for people, science and potential for payload.Â Space tourism early adopters provided vital proof of first available market and made project possible.

SpaceShipTwo

SpaceShipTwo unveiled on 7th December 2009 immediately prior to start of its test flight program

Uses all the same basic technology, construction and design as SpaceShipOne prototype

Is around twice as large as SS1 and will carry 6 passengers and 2 pilots

Cabin approx the size of a Falcon 900 exec jet

Whole fuselage used for passenger cabin â€“ no raised â€œfloorâ€

Large windows positioned throughout the cabin to afford maximum viewing potential for passengers

Planning for reclining seats to maximize cabin space in zero g and for re-entry

Speed: supersonic within 8 seconds of rocket ignition and faster than Mach 3 within 30 seconds of rocket ignition

Achieving an apogee of at least 110 kms

The Experience

Plan for 3 days of preparation, medical checks, bonding, and g force acclimatization as part of flight cost

Carrier aircraft is able to act as a training platform with passenger cabins that replicate the spaceship

All passengers will be able to leave their seats and float in zero G should they wish and enjoy view of space and the earth stretching for around 1000 miles in every direction

Reservations

Accepted Deposits from over 300 individuals who have made deposits from between $20 and $200k

Total deposits received over $40m.Â Flight cost US$200k

Over 85,000 people from 125 countries have registered their interest in becoming a Virgin Galactic astronaut at www.virgingalactic.com

A specialist network of Virgin Galactic Accredited Space Agents has been set up around the world to accept deposits for seats on future space flights (ASA details can be found on www.virgingalactic.com).

Licensing

US regulatory framework established by 2004 Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act which empowered the Office of Commercial Space Transportation within the Federal Aviation Administration to regulate and license commercial space launch vehicles and operators.

Enshrined the principle of Informed Consent for space flight participants, permitting a licensed operator to carry passengers on space flights once the passengers are informed of and accept a comprehensive explanation of the risks involved.

Company also is committed to complying with other U.S governmental regulations, including export provisions administered by the State Department

CO2 emissions per passenger on a spaceflight will be equivalent to approximately 60% of a per passenger return commercial London/New York flight.Â Around 70% of the spaceflight CO2 emissions come from the carrier aircraft. This is a clean spaceship!

SpaceShipTwo and its carrier aircraft will provide space access, to paying tourism passengers and to scientists for research, with an incomparably smaller environmental impact, lower cost and greater flexibility than anything that has gone before. We need space but we need better access to it.